A European businessman and his Malayan wife have a daughter, Nina. A Malayan prince comes to do trade with the businessman and falls in love with the daughter. Conflict arises when other influences cause distrust in the business partnership and the daughter runs off to be with the prince.
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), van oorsprong Pools, schreef in het Engels. Naast 'Hart der duisternis' zijn 'Lord Jim', 'Nostromo' en 'De geheim agent' zijn bekendste werken. 'Hart der duisternis' vormde de basis voor de film 'Apocalypse Now' van Francis Ford Coppola.